Kid-Pleasing Stuffed Peppers
By: Helen Pitlick
Published: Friday, December 10, 2010 - 1:02am

Ingredients




1 pound lean ground beef
6 sweet bell peppers (any color but green!)
1/2 cup brown rice, cooked
1 cup finely-chopped onions (optional)
1 garlic clove, minced (optional)
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 cups tomato sauce
freshly-ground black pepper to taste
salt to taste

Preparation

1 Spread the ground beef on a perforated broiler tray, and broil close to heat source to brown the meat and melt the fat (or use leftover cooked, lean hamburgers, broken up). 2 Meanwhile, prepare the pepper cases: Neatly slice off the tops of the peppers and set aside. Remove and discard the seeds and membranes. Set aside. 3 Mash the cooked hamburger with a fork and put it in a deep bowl. Add the rice, onions, salt and pepper to taste, garlic, herbs and lemon juice. Add one cup of the tomato sauce and mix well, until all ingredients are blended (add more sauce if needed). 4 Pack the meat mixture into the pepper cases. Stand the peppers up in a nonstick casserole or deep baking dish just large enough to hold them without tipping over. Pour the remaining tomato sauce over the peppers. Cover each pepper with its top. Bake uncovered in a preheated 350 degree oven until tender-firm (about 30 minutes).

About


The colorful peppers and comforting filling make this dish kid-friendly, while the option to make it with leftover hamburger and rice make it parent-friendly as well.